P boa ing 3 Techniques in Shades of Black Bi on S.Chinese Painting Equipment The Four Treasures of the Studio The brush, the ink stick, the ink stone and the paper - the implements needed for Chinese traditional painting and writing ~ have been known as the ‘four treasures of the studio” since the end of the 10th century when there was a shop of that name selling the equipment in Anhui province, ‘These ‘treasures’ are the basic necessities required to paint traditional Chinese subjects in ‘shades of black’ Accessories Inaddlition to brush, paper, ink stonc and ink stick, the painter needs a water-holder, a plate or porcelain dish for mixing the black ink with water to make the shades of black, and newspaper to serve as the absorbent backing lor the Chinese paper, Weights are also needed to hold the paper in position. There are also three 9special items included here; a wooden ‘mountain’ brush rest, an antique water dropper in the shape ofa bird on a tree trunk, and lotus leaf brush-washer. (Those shown are from the collection of P. Cherrett). Chinese Painting Brushes Alll derive from the writing brush, but early writing was done with a whittled, sharpened willow stick on strips of bamboo General Meng Tian who lived in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) is credited with the invention of the brush of hair. In the story relating to this, itis said that ashe was supervising the construction of the Great Wall he saw a tuft of goat's hair stuck to one of the stones, noticed its resemblance to the willow stick and tried to write with it The brush most used at presents blend of the hairs of the weasel and the hare, but rabbit hair brushes, goat hair bru: oreven those made with panda hair or mouse whiskers are still available Much care is needed in the making of brush. For instance, a brush of rabbit hair requires hair which is neither too soft nor too thick and has, therefore, to be obtained in the autumn when all the correct conditions are satisfied. The Chinese believe that every painter should possess his own brushes which, after training, take on his own personality and character, Although Chinese brushes are numbered, there is not always total, consistency amongst the different makers. The centre brush in the illustration is a medium-sized one. The bristles are approximately 1 inch in length. The cost of brushes varies according to both the size and the type of hair used | in the brush. An assortment of brushes, from small to large, is also shown. 10(ii Some arc hanging from a special rack (only to be used when the brushes are completely dry); a multiple brush, made up of ten small brushes glued together and used for washes, islying on a wooden polished brush rest; a bamboo ‘fountain brush’ with its cap at its side is available for calligraphy; a set of six matching brushes demonstrates the range of brush sizes available and helps show the comparison between the popular sized brushes and the huge brush lying next to them. The Chinese brush always returns toa fine point when itis wet, butits uniqueness lies in its versatility. Ifthe painter wishes, the brush can produce strokes of varying degrees of broadne or even split itself into two or more points to produce multiple lines with a single stroke. Tt is usual in ink painting only to use one brush throughout, as the brush will be capable of painting everything [rom the finest line to broad areas of wash. Itis alsoThe stages in making a brush. Bamboo handle 2 extremely helpful in maintaining the unity of brushwork style in the painting to use only one brush. ‘The Chinese brush is made up of hairs of varying lengths, bound together in a very special way and set in a bamboo holder. tis built round central core, increasing in circumference as layers of hair are added to the core. When the correct size has been reached, the bundle of hair is tied, glued and inserted into the open end ofa bamboo handle. (Care has to be taken not to loosen the glue in these brushes, as this is its weakest point. Hot water should not be used for brush washing. If the hairs do come out of the handle, they usually remain tied together in the bundle. and can be re-inserted and glued with a modern glue.) A brush from the Western world has a large amount of hair inside the handle, while the opposite is true for an oriental brush. This special construction enables the brush to behave in a unique way when loaded with ink Hoiristieg here Preparing the Brush for Painting Before actual painting can begin the Chinese brush has to be “broken in’ if itis a new one, not previously used. First, the cap should be removed. This is sometimes bamboo, and nowadays may even be made of plastic. Itshould then bethrown away and not put back on the brush as its use was to protect the brush during its travels. Next, the coating of starch, used to shape and protect the hairs should be removed by dipping the brush in water and gently manipulating the point against the side of the paint dish, or even, very gently, massaging with the fingers. Looking after the Brush ‘The brush should always be washed at the end of its use, taking: special care to remove all traces of the black ink, which dries into. agritty state and would damage the brush if left in the hairs for a long time. Brushes should be dried in the air by being laid down horizontally with the hairs suspended over the edge ofa plate or ink stone. Traditionally, painters used a brush rest, often made in the shape ofa mountain, to rest the darnp brushes while in the process of painting. For Chinese painting it is important to be extra careful with excess water or dampness as the absorbency of the paper puts it more at risk than in ordinary Western watercolour painting. However, brushes should not be left to dry on the ink rest or the moisture sceps down to collect at the base of the hairs and may loosen the brush from the handle,‘The Ink Stone To make the black ink, the ink stick is rubbed in water on an stone. ‘The grinding action rubs ink {rorn the stick, enablini mix with the water. The finer the grain of the ink stone, the smoother the ink becomes and the longer the time needed for grinding, ‘The stone should be extremely smooth and hard. ‘The most famous ink slabs are said to be from the Anhui clistrict of China, where most are made from black stone, but there are also. varieties with red or grcen markings forming designs in the stone: Ink stones. The Ink Stick Old Chinese ink is made of pine soot mixed with lue and other ingredients to hold it together. It comes compressed into the form of a stick, sometimes round, sometimes squure, decorated with characters and pictures in gold. Other ink sticks are made from lampblack mixcd with varnish, pork fat, and musk of camphor; these have a lightly bluish, metallic tinge to them (Tradition says that ifthis ink stick is rubbed on the lips or tongue, itis considered a good remedy for fits an convul A.good ink stick islight in weight and very brittle, The bes sticks produce a black which doesnot stick the brush hairs together, or fade with time. ‘The size of the ink stick should be compatible with the size of the ink stone on which itis to be rubbed and able to make an amount of ink suitable for the subject matter and painting size required, Large bamboo paintings need a large ink stick, ink 14stone and brush; but short picee of writing will not need so much ink to be made, so the stick and stone can be smaller The ink stick wears down very slowly with use, but the ink stone will last forever. Mixing the Ink Beiore beginning to paint, the artist always prepares fresh ink. Although Chine available in bottles, itis not suitable for painting nor does it generate the variety of tones, from deepest black to delicate pearl grey, whieh can be produced by the Chinese ink stick. The action of rubbing the ink stick in the water on the ink stone has the psychologically meditative effect of preparing the mind for the painting ahcad, and as such has always been regarded almost ax a sacred rite To mix the ink, first put some clear water into the well of the ink ston’. Hold the ink stick upright and dip one end into the Different ink sticks. water to dampen it, then begin to rub iton the flat surface of the ink stone. (The amount of water depends upon how much ink you expect to need. Begin with about half a teaspoonful, then experience will help you to increase or decrease this.)